Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of "The Cat Returns." Those rights belong to Studio Ghibli.
Chapter 1
"I need a hot chocolate, Haru!" called the boss.
"Got it!" replied a smiling, brunette girl from behind the counter.
Haru Yoshioka quickly grabbed one of the many white china mugs in the rack. She put it on the rack of the coffee machine and raised the small plastic switch. The creamy brown cocoa filled the cup within seconds with a scrumptious steam of aroma arising from its swirly surface. Satisfied, Haru went up to the counter.
"Would you like whipped cream on yours, miss?" Haru asked the customer, a tall woman with her brown hair in a ponytail. She stood there happily with a floral, pink skirt and a white jacket with a blank tank top beneath it. Her head was also crowned with spunky rose sunglasses.
"Yes, please!" she replied with a smile.
Haru gave her own smile in response as she turned around to grab the whipped cream dispenser. She turned it upside down and hoisted it over the steaming mug. With a slight squeeze of the handle, the cream emerged from the spout with a soft, high pitched sound of air accompanying it. Haru guided the dispenser to create a light, fluffy swirl to cover the surface of cocoa.
"Here you are, miss. Please come again!" Haru said as she turned around and placed the delicate mug on the counter. She made a small bow before her customer.
"Thank you!" replied the woman with a smile as she took the mug from the counter and took a table outside.
Haru stole a quick glance at the fat white cat at the table next to the one in which the woman sat. It sat there everyday, lying there on the seat hidden from human eyes. The cat removed himself from his lazy position to raise its head and meet eyes with the girl. By doing so, the cat revealed its ear which was dark compared to the rest of its white fur. Haru smiled at the cat before returning to her work.
Muta watched as she occupied herself with her work. "Chicky better bring me some cake when she's done."
After serving some more customers, Haru took a moment to stare out the window into the city streets. It was place that sent a flood of memories to her mind. This is where she first met Muta. Where he led her to the Cat Bureau, the magical place where she began a grand adventure. When she met so many wonderful friends. When she met Baron.
It was always this place and this weather that reminded her of two years ago. She had saved a cat from getting hit by a truck by a well-aimed swing of her lacrosse stick. But it had not been just any cat. It was the prince of the Cat Kingdom with whom she had shared a human conversation. It was her gift to talk to cats. It had been the first time she had unlocked it in years.
It was chaotic the moment the rest of the Cat Kingdom came to thank her with their feline gifts. A yard full of cat tails which she was allergic to. Catnip which made all of the cats she passed run after her in a frenzy. Boxes of mice in her locker at school. And the "greatest" gift of all: her engagement to the prince she rescued.
A voice told her to go to the crossroads and find a big white cat to solve her problems with these relentless cats. That's when she met Muta who led her to the little refuge for creations. That's when the bright sunlight shone down upon the little green house which was the Bureau. And from the house emerged a cat figurine in a suit with a cane: Baron Humbert von Gikkingen.
He was a person so refined and sure. He always wore his fine white suit with the violet vest underneath, black shoes, and a sky blue bow tied around his collar. He could never go anywhere without his white top hat or his cane either. He spoke with a cool, English accent and had the head of a tabby cat with red fur. He also had the most beautiful, piercing emerald eyes Haru had ever seen. He was the one who always pushed her to trust herself and saved her whenever she was in trouble.
He came for her when she was swept away to the Cat Kingdom so shortly after their meeting. He dressed as an entertainer to dance with her in an attempt to get her away. But soon enough, he had to unmask his identity so shortly after stealing Haru's heart on the dance floor. Haru, Baron, and Muta had run through the maze to the tower that would take her home where Baron carried her halfway up the tower when she was exhausted and protected her when half of it blew up.
The prince she rescued, Prince Lune, had shown up in the nick of time to say he didn't want to marry Haru and wanted to marry Yuki, the beautiful white cat Haru had fed as while Yuki was a stray and who had told Haru to go to the Cat Bureau. Muta, Baron, and the crow Toto and his flying friends got Haru home safe and sound after escaping the Cat King who had decided last minute that Haru should marry him instead.
Through all of this, Baron held a special place in her heart. She was happy enough that he knew she liked him. But every time she thought of him or saw him, his place seemed to grow until it began to completely take over her heart. She continued to entertain her mind with fantasies she would have of him and his nature to sweep her off her feet. A goofy grin took hold on her expression. Muta could already see her gazing through that window with her cheeks tinting pink.
"That girl's got her head in the clouds," he muttered to himself.
It had been two years since then. Now, she had just finished high school and found that there wasn't much to do when there wasn't school. So she got a job at the café to stay close to the Bureau. She went out with Hiromi (whenever she wasn't with Tsuge) who got Haru a little more into her feminine side. Haru grew her bangs a little longer and she would do things with her hair now (like today – her bangs were pinned back to stretch smoothly over her head). She never got up late and became more responsible at her age. This was the girl she became ever since her adventure in the world of cats.
Haru took a moment to glance at the clock on the wall. Almost four o'clock… she thought to herself excitedly. For once it struck four o'clock, she'd be on her way to the Bureau to see him again as she did everyday when her shift was over. She was happy that now that school was over, she could actually come and see her friends at the Bureau on a regular basis. She giggled to herself at the thought.
Haru constantly looked back at the clock. Once it hit four o'clock, she quickly made her way to the back room to get her things. She changed out of her white collared shirt, black pants, and red apron into something more comfortable: a white blouse with princess sleeves and a frilly sky blue skirt that went to her knees. She hoped it would catch Baron's eye. She crossed her fingers.
Trying to move around behind the counter, she tried to scoot past a new face that began working at the café today. The girl, wearing glasses and with two dark braids lying over her shoulders, meekly mumbled, "Excuse me" when the teapot and teacups on the tray she had been holding began to slip. The girl, her eyes full of fright, tried to lean the tray the opposite direction to keep the cups of tea from falling. But instead, she fell into Haru along with all of the tea.
Haru yelped loudly as the teapot spilled over and the tea, which, to Haru at the moment, felt hotter than the Sun, scorched her skin red. Her skin felt like it was sizzling on a stovetop and it stung at the touch. Small tears emerged at the corners of her eyes from the scalding pain. A shaky, "Owwww…" was all Haru could manage to say.
"I'm-I'm so sorry!!" cried the girl with the braids, standing there pale and petrified.
"Oh my gosh, Haru!" said Ayame, another one of the girls. "Here, come with me!"
Ayame led her into the back kitchen to the sink where she quickly turned on the cold water. The water came crashing down into the sink in copious amounts, making an irritatingly loud echoing sound as it clanged against the metal.
"Run your arm under there for a good fifteen minutes," Ayame said.
"What?!" Haru screeched, suddenly forgetting about the pain. "Fifteen minutes?!" All she could think of was delaying seeing the Baron.
Ayame's eyes widened at Haru's aggressive, unexpected reaction. "Okay! Five at least if it bothers you that much."
As Ayame walked out of the kitchen, Haru ran her glowing, pulsing red elbow under the icy water. For a moment, the extreme differences in temperature seemed to only intensify the sting of the scald. But after a few minutes, the sting had lessened. Haru sighed in relief. She looked at her arm again. The bright red had lightened up a little but it was still quite noticeable.
I can't let Baron see my arm like this, she thought. He'll freak!
Frantically, she looked around to find something she could cover up the scald with. She looked over at one of the racks in the corner where they kept all of the rags. She grabbed one and improvised a knot around her arm. Examining it, she just sighed. Close enough.
She made her way around the other employees behind the counter. No sign of the new girl.
"Here, Haru!" Ayame called, waving a plastic box at her. Through the clear plastic, Haru could see a slice of a coffee cake with its yellow pigment and dainty brown swirls. A plastic fork resided next to it. Ayame also held some napkins beneath it. "Take this before you go! I'm sure you'll need it after what happened."
"Thanks!" Haru said, smiling appreciatively. She took the box and napkins and rushed outside.
Fewer cars were out on the road now and the sky was orange from the setting sun. It reflected blindingly off of the city windows. She looked at the tables where Muta laid relaxing in the same chair.
"I'm finished with my shift, Muta!" she called to the cat.
Muta lazily turned his head to look at her and jumped off of the chair. "Some of that cake better be for me," Muta said as they began to walk in the direction of the Bureau.
"You'll get some!" Haru replied. "Don't worry! I can only stand coffee for so long in one day."
Little did they know that an eerie pair of moon-silver eyes followed their every move.
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Author's Notes: This is my first fanfic in years and so I suppose my writing style might be a bit shaky. I watched this movie recently and fell in love with it! I don't know if it's considered a great movie but nonetheless I was inspired. I hope you enjoy it so far! I already have a second chapter written. Just making some revisions. Constructive criticism welcome.